Half to alonzo i



(No Model.)

L. H. ALLEN. TRIMMING ATTACHMENT EOE SEWING MACHINES.

No. 246,860. lPafen'ed Sept. 13,1881.

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NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LESTER H. ALLEN, OF FARMINGTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO ALONZO I. NUTE, OF SAME PLACE.

TRIMMING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 246,860, dated September 13, 1881.

Application tiled May 2, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, LESTER H. ALLEN, of Farmington, county of Stratford, State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trimming Attachments for Sewing-Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

This invention in sewing-machines has for 1o its object improvements in apparatus for trimming scalloped or other edges of leather or other material used in themannfacture ot'boots and shoes and other articles.

My invention has for its object the production of a trimming attachment which may be readily thrown out or" or into operative position with relation to the needle and shuttle which form the stitch, so as to trim the edge as each -stitch is made, or permit the stitching to proceed without trimming, as when turning corners or in sharp angles of scallops. This provision of discontinuing the operation of the cutter enables scallops with sharp corners to be trimmed at a uniform distance from the row of stitches, notwithstanding the shape ot' the scallop.

The devices which control the time of operation and rest of the cutter-bar are located close to the y-wheel, connected with the main shaft 3o of the sewing-machine, upon which iiy-wheel the operator,'when stitching curves or irregular lines of stitching, usually retains his hand. Such location of the said devices enables the operator, with the same hand with which he starts and stops the machine, to throw the cutter-bar at will into and out of operation at any stitch.

Figure l represents, in front elevation, a suficient portion of a Weed sewing-machine with 4o the face-plate removed to illustrate one embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, the face-plate having been applied. Fig. 3 is a section on dotted line fr x, Fig. 2, looking toward the left. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail, showing the lower end of the cutter-bar and cutter and needle-bar and needle. Fig. 5 is a detail top view of the slotted throat-plate through which the needle and usual feedingbar and cutter work. Fig. 6 rep- 5o resents a scallop such as may be trimmed with the trimming attachment herein described, andFig. 7 is a top view of the lever m.

The sewingmachine selected upon which to illustrate my invention is a Veed sewing-machine, the construction of which is so well 5 5 known as not to need a detailed description, further than that dis the main shaft, on which are the ily-wheel fand eccentrico?. Theeccentric reciprocates the link c, and the latter, connected with the pin a4 (shown in section, Fig. 6o 3) of the arm a5 ofthe rockershaft a, rocks the said shaft and actuates the needle-bar, all as usual.

Within the head ot' the sewing-machine,at the front end of the goose-neck, I have placed the cutter-bar g, to the bent lower end ot' which I have secured the cutter h. This bargis slotted at 2 to receive the fulcrumpin 3, lixed to the head of the machine. The bar g, near its upper end, is cut away, as represented at 4, to 7o prevent interference with the usual screw, which,insertedinthe hole 5, (seeFig. 1,) holds the' upper end ofthe face-plate fi of the head in position.

The spiral spring j, connected at its upper end with the head ot' the machine and at its lower end with the bar g, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. l, acts to lift the said har into the position shown therein whenever the said b'ar is not positively depressed by the action of 8o the needle-holding screw or nut k (see Fig.

2) extended backward from the needle-bar, which screw or nut strikes the curved or bent lower end ot' the cutter-bar. This bar g, at its upper end, is engaged by the forward end of the lever m, it having, as herein shown, aloop,

l, into which the upper end of the said bar is entered. The lever m has its fulcrum at m', and near its rear end it is provided with a suitable loop, 7112,01' opening, to receive the up- 9o per end of a T-shaped lever, n, having its fulcrum at a, and provided with depending legs a2 n3, which are extended through a slot in a shipper-slide, at, adapted to be moved in one direction by a cam-shaped hand-lever, a5, pivoted thereon, and held pressed against the upright part e2 of the frame by means of a coiled or spiral spring, a6, surrounding the said ship per-slide.

Upon the connecting-rod c I have adjustaroo bly secured a striker, o, adapted to strike the lower end of olle or the other of the two legs n2 n3, according to the position of the shipperslide n4 as the link rises, such operation turning the T-shaped lever n in one or the other direction and vibrating the lever m to cause its forward end, embracing the cutter-bar, to swing or vibrate the latter about the fulcrumpin 3, to either place the lower bent end of the cutter-bar g in range with or remove it out of range ot' the needle -holding nut or screw. When the shipper-slide is moved into its farthest position toward the head ofthe machine, as represented in full lines, Fig. 2, the rearmost leg, n2, will be struck by the striker o and the T-shaped or three-armed lever, and the lever m will then be moved so as to place the cutter in operative position, as shown in full lines, Figs. l and 4; but as soon as the handlever a5 is turned, as in dotted lines, and the shipper-lever n4 is moved back to bring the leg n3 in line with the striker o, then the T- shaped lever n and lever m will be so shifted or moved as to place the cutter-bar in the dotted-line position, Fig. 1, removing its lower bent end out of the range or reach of, and so that it will not be struck and operated-by, the needle-holding screw or nut k in the descent of the needle-bar. With the parts in such position the cutter will cease to operate; but the stitchingmay be continued for any number of stitches. This cutter-bar may be thrown out of or into operation at any stitch, and be coiltiuued in or out of operation for any number of stitches.

It is of great importance in the practical operation of a trimming device having the mode of operation herein described that the handlever or device for throwing the cutter into and out of action be so located with relation to the hand or fly wheelfthat the operator, With his right hand, which is usually kept on the ily-wheel, may readily and with but a slight movement of the hand, reach the device a5, a sight movement of which determines whether or not the cutter shall be operated to do trimming.

The mechanism herein shown is very simple in construction,yet I do not desire to limit myself to the exact construction herein shown, as the shape of the levers for throwing the cutter-bar and blade or cutter h into and out of operation may be changed without departing from my invention. The cutter h, made as a short blade with a beveled end, is caused to descend into the small slot p in the usual throat-plate i'.

1n Fig. 6, s represents a piece of leather, u the sharp-angled scallops, and t the line of stitches.

1 claim- 1. The pivoted vertically-reciprocating cutter-bar, its cutting-blade, the reciprocating needle-bar to move the cutter-bar in one direction, and a spring to move it in an opposite direction, combined with a lever in engagement with the cutter-bar at one side of its fulcrum, said lever being adapted to turn the cutter-bar upon its pivot to place it into or remove it out of position to be actuated by the descent of the needle-bar, substantially as described.

2. The pivoted vertically-reciprocating cutter-bar, spring to lift it, the lever to engage and vibrate the cutter-bar to place its lower end in range or remove it out of range ofa projection or device on the needle-bar, and a three-armed lever having legs pivoted thereto, combined with means to control the position of the legs and a striker to operate upon one or the other ot' the said legs, as and for the purpose described.

3. In a trimming attachment for sewing-machines, a vertically-reciprocating cutter-bar, a lever in engagement therewith to throw the cutter-bar into and out of operative position, combined with a cutter-cont-rolling lever located and arranged at the rear end of the sewing-machine, near the ily-wheel, and with iutermediate mechanism to automatically operate the lever which throws the cutter-bar into or out of operative position after the controlling-lever is shifted as to its position, substantially as described.

4. The lever a5, T-shaped lever, its legs, and the movable shipper-slide, lever m, and cutterbar and cutter, combined withthe striker connected wit-h the link c, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specication in the presence of two subroo scribing witnesses.

LESTER H. ALLEN.

Vitnesses: I

DANIEL W. EDGERLY, JAMES G. HERRING. 

